Delhi University's two colleges stripped of elite UGC tag

Both Sri Venkateswara College and Gargi College fail to get the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) approval.

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Ritika Chopra

New Delhi

December 26, 2011

UPDATED: December 26, 2011 10:13 IST

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has stripped two of Delhi University's sought-after colleges of their elite status.

The UGC has revoked the 'College with Potential for Excellence' status granted to Sri Venkateswara College and Gargi College because both failed to get the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) approval.

Though NAAC accreditation has become mandatory since the Eleventh Plan, the UGC runs the NAAC and periodically assesses institutions for quality education. A college should get at least three stars or a B grade to be eligible to apply for excellence status.

The status is granted to an educational institution that has proved its potential for excellence through quality teaching, infrastructure facilities and students' performance, among other factors. This tag also comes with a grant of anything between Rs 35 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore to help the institution improve its infrastructure.

"We haven't received any formal notification on this yet. But this throws up a strange problem for all the colleges of DU. None of the DU colleges is accredited by the NAAC," Meera Ramachandran, principal of Gargi College, said.